Intestinal Obstruction is a medical condition, in which a blockage seriously impairs intestinal contents passage or completely stops.

Intestinal Obstruction can happen anywhere within the intestine. When intestine fills with gas, digestive secretions, fluid, or food, it swells like a soft hose. In infants and newborns such disorder is usually resulted from volvulus (twisting of the intestine) on itself, meconium (intestinal content hard mass), or caused by birth abnormality. In adults, duodenum obstruction can be resulted from adhesions, Crohn’s disease, previous surgery, pancreas cancer, or scarring from ulcer. Intestinal Obstruction also happens, when portion of the intestine bulges through the hernia (abnormal opening), such as abdomen muscles, and becomes trapped.

In rare cases, a worm collection, indigested food mass, or gallstone can block the intestine. Cancer is the most common cause of the large intestine’s obstruction. Fecal impaction (hard lump of feces) or intestine’s twisted loop also can result in the blockage.

Intestinal Obstructions symptoms include bloating, accompanied with abdomen cramping pain. The pain can become steady and severe. Vomiting starts later with large-intestinal obstructions than with small-intestinal obstructions. Complete obstructions results in severe constipation, while partial obstructions can result in diarrhea. A fever is common in Intestinal Obstruction and is especially likely to happen, if the wall of the intestine perforates. Perforation may quickly cause infection and severe inflammation, resulting in shock.

The physician evaluates the patient’s abdomen for abnormal masses or swelling, and tenderness. The bowel sounds (the normal sound made by a functioning intestines), which may be heard through a stethoscope can be high pitched and very loud, or they can be absent. If perforations results in peritonitis, a patient will experience acne when the physician presses on the abdomen; the pain increases when physician abruptly releasing the pressure (such symptom known as rebound tenderness). X-Ray procedures can reveal intestine’s dilated loops that show the intestinal obstruction’s location. The x-ray can also show air around the intestine in the person’s abdomen, which is a perforation sign.

Any person with Intestinal Obstruction must be hospitalized. Usually, a thin, long tube is inserted through the person’s nose and placed in the intestine or stomach. Suction is attached to the tube to remove accumulated material above the blockage. Electrolytes and fluid (potassium and sodium) are given intravenously to replace salt and water from diarrhea and vomiting. In some cases, Intestinal Obstruction resolves without further treatments, usually if it caused by adhesions. An endoscope inserted through the anus or barium enema, which inflates the intestine, can be used to treat several diseases including a twisted intestinal segments in the large intestine’s lower portion. Most frequently, however, surgery is done promptly. During operation, the intestine’s blocked segment can be removed and the remaining portions joined.